The ability to quickly access documentation is a major feature of Xcode, and one you’ll want to use regularly when creating iOS apps. If you have no idea how to do something, or how something works, you[more…]

Need to track down a single symbol or all occurrences of a symbol in a file or class in your iOS code? You can easily locate what you’re looking for in Xcode by choosing Edit→Find→Find or pressing Cmd+F[more…]

Whereas the Find command in Xcode works for locating an item in a file or class, you use the Search navigator (the third button from the left in the Project Navigator toolbar) to find items in your project[more…]

Xcode's Symbol navigator allows you to browse through the symbols in your project — just click the Symbol button on the Navigator selector bar. Note that you need to wait until Xcode finishes indexing[more…]

Although simple for the eventual user, the birth, life, and death of an iOS application is a pretty complex process. In this article, see what happens throughout the time that the user launches the app[more…]

Most events sent to an iOS application are encapsulated in an event object — an instance of the UIEvent class. In the case of touch-related events, the event object contains one or more touch objects[more…]

On an iOS device running iOS 4.2 or newer versions, various events besides termination can interrupt your app to allow the user to respond — for example, calendar alerts or the user pressing the Sleep/Wake[more…]

You use the same Software Development Kit and much of the same code to develop iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch applications. The iPad runs the same operating system as the iPhone and iPod touch. However,[more…]

An iPad app can offer a more immersive experience compared with an iPhone app by adding more content — full pages from the Internet or in memory, maps you can zoom in to, full-screen videos and slide shows[more…]

The iPad’s large display may tempt you to consider a design for your iOS 6 app that would look good on a laptop. But you shouldn't forget the first rule of iPhone design: Make its content and functions[more…]

The important design decision to make when developing mobiles apps for iOS 6, whether you’re starting from scratch with a new iPad app or evolving one from an iPhone app, is whether to use the large iPad[more…]

One of the keys to developing a great mobile app for iOS 6 is taking advantage of what the device offers. In the case of a new platform with new possibilities, exploiting advantages is especially important[more…]

An iOS device can access websites and servers on the Internet through Wi-Fi or optional 3G or 4G services. This Internet access gives you the capability to create apps that can provide real-time information[more…]

You can develop an iOS 6 app that can determine the device’s current location or even be notified when that location changes, using iOS location services. As people move, it may make sense for your app[more…]

Your iOS app can access the user’s information in the Contacts app and display that information in a different way or use it as information in your application. For example, a user could enter the name[more…]

Although iOS doesn’t have true multitasking, it has instant-on task switching that reduces application startup and makes it easier to continue right where you left off. For certain kinds of applications[more…]

Along with all the great features of the iPhone and iPad, they also have some limitations. The key to successful app development — and to not making yourself too crazy — is to understand those limitations[more…]

Although the Multi-Touch interface of iOS 6 is a feature of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, it brings with it some limitations. First of all, fingers aren’t as precise as a mouse pointer, which makes[more…]

Just as the iPhone and iPad can extend the reach of the user, the device possibilities and the development environment can extend your reach as a developer. To make sure that you’re reaching in the right[more…]

The iPad, of course, has an older albeit smaller brother — the iPhone. In one corner, you have a light, small, mobile device that you can take with you — one that almost disappears as it becomes part of[more…]